First Generation Students: Reading Guide

Know That You Are Worthy by Adam J. Rodríguez (Editor); Yolanda Norman (Foreword by)
ISBN: 9781538162408
Publication Date: 2023-02-09
Thirty-one alumni who were the first in their family to obtain a college degree share their experiences as first-generation students in this noteworthy new text. Their stories illuminate how the struggles of first-generation students are primarily due to a combination of multiple social inequities that are ignored, reinforced, and perpetuated by exclusive college systems. Speaking directly to current and future first-generation students, the authors offer tips and advice for success, along with powerful words of encouragement.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
ISBN: 9781524700485
Publication Date: 2017-10-17
A stunning young adult novel about a teenager coming to terms with losing her sister and finding herself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home.
My Time Among the Whites by Jennine Capó Crucet
ISBN: 9781250299437
Publication Date: 2019-09-03
From the author of Make Your Home Among Strangers, essays on being an "accidental" American--an incisive look at the edges of identity for a woman of color in a society centered on whiteness.
First in the Family: Your College Years by Kathleen Cushman
ISBN: 0976270668
Publication Date: 2006-10-01
A companion to First in the Family: Your High School Years, this next-step guidebook straight from their peers tells first-generation college students how to stay in college and graduate.
Giants Among Us by Sandria Rodriguez
ISBN: 0585408041
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
How do children from undereducated and impoverished backgrounds get to college? What are the influences that lead them to overcome their socioeconomic disadvantages and sometimes the disapproval of families and friends to succeed in college? These are the basic questions Sandria Rodriguez posed to a diverse group of seventeen first-generation college graduates, including herself; their compelling life stories make important contributions to what little is known about this phenomenon.
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
ISBN: 9780307594884
Publication Date: 2013-01-15
The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting Justice, she recounts her life from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, a journey that offers an inspiring testament to her own extraordinary determination and the power of believing in oneself.

Podcasts & Blogs

How to College: First-Gen
Norma, Joseph, Luz, and Mijin are all first-generation college graduates that began the podcast How to College: First Gen in an effort to democratize education and information. As first-gens that have experienced the process of going to and through college, they are delighted to be able to share some of the insight and lessons learned along the way.
A First-Gen's Guide to Grad School
Enrica holds a B.S. in Psychology from Brooklyn College in 2018 and an M.S. in Psychology from the University of Michigan in 2023. They are currently a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Communication and Media, and Developmental Psychology programs at the University of Michigan.
The First Gen Lounge
An award-winning podcast with over 100k downloads for first-generation scholars and professionals.